“Water!” he barked. “Not far away! I can smell it!”

“I can, too!” yipped Lick. She bounded up to Grunt and they tumbled on the ground, rolling and barking. Then they raced off in the direction of the water.

“Not too fast,” Daisy called after them, but her tone was cheerful and she started after them with her tail thrashing.

Only little Wiggle stayed where he was. “I can’t smell anything,” he whined.

Daisy skidded on her paws. She returned to the pup and licked his ear comfortingly. “Keep trying,” she told him. “You will.”

The little stream cleaved a shaft of gray rock that cut through the pines. Daisy and the pups drank thirstily and washed their paws. Then Daisy led them toward the white ridge.

She wants to be far enough away from the stream to allow me and Alpha to drink without being detected, Lucky realized. She knows we’re following, but doesn’t want the pups to realize. Clever Daisy! He watched her from a distance, a warm tug of affection at his chest.

As the Sun-Dog eased himself lower in the sky, Daisy and the pups settled down for no-sun in the shelter between two rocks, under the small green leaves of a bowing tree. It would be some time before the sky was black, but Daisy seemed reluctant to go any farther, and the pups were more than happy to flop down onto the ground after walking for the entire journey of the Sun-Dog.

Not far away, Lucky and Alpha found a shaded spot beneath a low tree with branches that trailed down like pup-tails. Lucky was grateful to Daisy for having chosen to stop and make camp. The pups must be exhausted, he thought. She’s making sure they preserve their strength. That warm feeling coursed through him for the kindhearted little dog and the pups in her charge. It vanished when he turned back to Alpha.

The dog-wolf yawned, baring his huge, pointed fangs. He stretched out his forepaw and licked the livid scar.

“How did it happen?” asked Lucky, looking at the wound. “How did you get in a fight with Fierce Dogs?”

Alpha drew his paw toward him and snarled. “Why do you want to know? Do you enjoy hearing about my weakness? Is that it?”

“Of course I don’t enjoy it!” Lucky whined, struggling to control his voice. He looked out toward the rock shelter where Daisy and the pups had made a camp. If they hear me, they’ll know we’ve tricked them. They’ll never forgive me. His eyes trailed back to the dog-wolf. Anyway, what will it help to provoke Alpha? He spoke again in a gentler voice. “I just want to understand why you hate Fierce Dogs so much.”